The legitimacy of assimilation

 Last night I stayed up to watch a special on this annual holiday tradition from the Mexican culture, which as a Mexican American seems more distant to me as the years pass.  I wondered why this tradition aside from the religious aspect has stuck for so long? In those days (1500's), whilst many indigenous were still reluctant to convert to Catholicism, this one event changed the entire history of a country when hundreds of thousands of Aztec natives converted. The apparition is up for debate, but supposing it did happen, why did it happen to the lowly indigenous peasant, and not the superior holy clergy guy? Whatever the reason was, at that point the placement of racialization and denaturalization on indigenous by the Spanish, had been challenged and a shift of legitimacy was born. Hence, the melding and becoming what we know of as Mexican today. The connection is still there for many who migrate and feel like the Aztec who was trying so hard to assimilate to the new Spanish culture when they are trying to assimilate to the American culture as well. It is a need to become accepted by the new culture as well as keep a connection to the old.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/12/our-lady-of-guadalupe_n_2285175.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices